Happy Days Reunion

I’ll admit it. I was a huge Happy Days fan. I can recall watching specific episodes, like the one when Fonzie cried because Richie was comatose in hospital. So even if I hadn’t been off sick and stuck to the couch for hours at a time, I still would have taped/watched the Happy Days 30th Anniversary Reunion. Yes, it was cheesy and stagey but it also offered insider info to keep me watching.

I didn’t expect to see Anson “Potsie” Williams there but he not only took part, he actually seemed enthusiastic. I guess it’s been about a dozen years since his famous tantrum at the MIX. People change. Maybe he needs the money. But when Williams was appearing in a show at Stage West, he made the requisite stop at the MIX to appear on Pat Cugliari’s comedy show. It was unforgettable. Williams was such a prick! He simply refused to acknowledge Happy Days or his role in it. Pat had apparently been forewarned that the H.D. era was off limits, but still, like any good journalist, he prodded gently and Williams shot back one-word, clipped answers that all meant, “don’t even go there”. He came off like a bitter fool who had forgotten why anyone would even bother to want to interview him in the first place. He was a true a-hole.

Lots of ex-sitcom stars came through the MIX and they were all more than willing to tell tales from the set. One of my favourites was Pat Harrington from One Day At A Time who even laughingly offered to show me his plumber’s butt, for old time’s sake! (I declined.) Williams had been a true turd.

So, there he was on TV, looking much older than his contemporaries, all full of compliments and happy memories about Happy Days. He was even self deprecating about his singing and acting abilities. He was – and I wasn’t ready for this given his earlier behavior – a nice guy!

They even showed the entire sequence that inspired the term “jump the shark”, which came to mean the moment when a show went too far, and began its downhill trek. Interesting to note that Happy Days ran 100 more episodes after Fonzie jumped the shark.

I’m not big on nostalgia. I don’t think things were necessarily better in the “old days”. But I did enjoy that trip back in time, and to see Ron Howard and the crew reminisce about a show that entertained me during my formative years.